That is doubtless why television is such a success, because you can see and watch people as you never can in real life unless you hide… the screen gives you the opportunity to spy at your leisure and to see more and therefore know more, because you’re not worrying about making eye contact or exposed in turn to being judged… And inevitably you pass judgement, you immediately utter some kind of verdict (or you don’t utter it, but say it to yourself), it only takes a matter of seconds and there’s nothing you can do about it, even if it’s only rudimentary and takes the least elaborate of forms, which is liking or disliking… And you surprise yourself by saying, almost involuntarily, sitting alone before the screen: ‘I really like him,’ ‘I can’t stand the guy,’ ‘I could eat her up,’ ‘He’s such a pain,’ ‘I’d do anything he asked,’ ‘She deserves a good slap around the face,’ ‘Bighead,’ ‘He’s lying,’ ‘She’s just pretending to feel pity,’ ‘He’s going to find life really tough,’ ‘What a wanker,’ ‘She’s an angel,’ ‘He’s so conceited, so proud,’ ‘They’re such phonies, those two,’ ‘Poor thing, poor thing,’ ‘I’d shoot him this minute, without batting an eyelid,’ ‘I feel so sorry for her,’ ‘He drives me bloody mad,’ ‘She’s pretending,’ ‘How can he be so naïve,’ ‘What a cheek,’ ‘She’s such an intelligent woman,’ ‘He disgusts me,’ ‘He really tickles me.’ The register is infinite, there’s room for everything. And that instant verdict is spot-on, or so it feels when it comes (less so a second later). It carries a weight of conviction without having been subjected to a single argument. With not a single reason to sustain it. – gevonden door Ali Smith